Tanaka
Tanaka (タナカ Tanaka) is the steward of the Phantomhive household and has been working for them at least since Vincent Phantomhive was the head of the house. In the anime, he is also said to hold the position of executive director of Ciel Phantomhive's Funtom Company.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 9 Character Outline thumb|left|100px|Tanaka in regular style. Tanaka is an elderly man with grey hair, mustache, and spectacles. He is seen wearing a clean suit and white gloves and is nearly always holding a cup of tea. Frequently, he is drawn in a super deformed art style, which makes him appear much shorter than he is. When drawn in a regular style, he "grows" to his full height, and is shown to be intelligent, knowledgeable, and capable. Others have been shown to stop and be quiet in order to listen to what he says. However, this is a rare occurrence, so when he does "transform" into a regular art style, it is also extremely shocking for the others. He was injured in the past and presently does little work, but is frequently seen running around with Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finnian. Nonetheless, he seems to be highly respected by others, such as Sebastian Michaelis, who frequently tells him that he is doing just fine and Frances Middleford, who tells Sebastian and Ciel Phantomhive to "take a lesson from Tanaka" regarding their appearances.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 10 As he has not been seen saying or doing much, not much is known about his personality, other than that he is kind and loyal to Ciel and his guests and to the other servants. It is also known that despite the fact that he lets the others tell him what to do and he goes along with their plans, he is actually higher in authority than Sebastian.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide page 4 Also despite his age, he is shown to still be quite strong, such as effortlessly killing two First Tier performers as well as subduing a man who attepted to harm Ciel. History Tanaka was present when Ciel Phantomhive's family was murdered, and attempted to warn Ciel to escape. In doing so, an unseen attacker stabbed him from behind, severely injuring him.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 19, page 6 It is unknown how he escaped the mansion, which was later set on fire, or how he returned to work for Ciel. Manga's Synopsis For much of the manga, Tanaka does not have a significant role, and is typically only seen chuckling quietly while drinking tea. Noah's Ark Circus Tanaka is heard calling Sebastian at Ciel's London townhouse, much to Ciel's surprise, to inform Ciel that Elizabeth Middleford has come to visit him at his manor.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 30, page 19 Sebastian later passes on this news, and it is what prompts Ciel to attempt to finish dealing with Baron Kelvin as quickly as possible. Later, when Dagger, Jumbo, Peter, Wendy, and Beast invade the Phantomhive manor, he goes to check on Elizabeth, who awakes when Mey-Rin shoots Peter through a window outside of her room. He comforts her, telling her it was just a sound in her dreams, and tells her to go back to bed, lest she get cold.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 33, page 19 This as well as shown that he killed two first Tier performers moments before. Phantomhive Murder Case At one morning after Ciel's confinement, he knocks the Earl's room and apologized for the lateness of waking the Earl up. Tanaka escorted Ciel which then they find Sebastian is dead. Ciel finds Sebastian would not wake up after his orders, so Tanaka was brought back as the butler of Phantomhive. He turned out to be a strict man, which Ciel mentions. While drinking tea to solve the mystery of the murders, Carl Woodley was interfering with the discussion, which then the whole guest finds Tanaka finishes the guest in no time with a technique called Baritsu. Tanaka says that in the Phantomhive manor, there would be no mercy for them who tries to do unpleasant things in the manor. Later, as Meylene and Finnian are outside in the storm searching for Sebastian's key, which they could not find on his body, he goes outside with an umbrella and tells them to come in and that he will make them some tea. He also informs them that food supplies are low. After the plan to catch the murderer, he is the one to inform Ciel and the others not apart of the plan that it was a success. Anime's Synopsis Similar to the manga, Tanaka's role is mostly limited to being a background character who occasionally explains things. Relevant differences between the manga and anime will be covered here. It should be noted that the Noah's Ark Circus storyline is manga exclusive. Conspiracy and Revenge right|thumb|190px|Tanaka leaves Ciel a journal. After Pluto is taken by Ash and burns down the Phantomhive manor and most of London, Tanaka is seen writing to Ciel in a journal among the ruins, which Sebastian later delivers to Ciel. The journal informs Ciel that Vincent Phantomhive, his father, had been aware of Queen Victoria's destructive nature, but did not want Ciel to know, so he would remain loyal to her. Quotes *"Ho, ho, ho." *(To Ciel in the past) "You should not have come here! Please escape. Ciel, sir... It's too risky for you..." References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Phantomhive household